Dermatoglyphic appraisal of multiple births women in Igbo-Ora and Ogbomosho, South west, Nigeria

The scientific study of epidermal ridges on the palms and toes is termed dermatoglyphics. Multiple births occur when more than one fetus results  from a single pregnancy. This study is aimed at determining the relationship if any between multiple births and palmar flexion creases. Two  hundred Igbo-Ora and one hundred Ogbomosho healthy and consenting adult female indigenes aged between 25-50 years were recruited and grouped into 4; group I consisted of multiple births women in Igbo-Ora; group II consisted of single births women in Igbo-Ora; group III consisted of multiple births women in Ogbomosho; and group IV consisted of single births women in Ogbomosho. A total of 600 palms (Igbo-Ora n=400; Ogbomosho n=200) comprising of both hands were used in the study. Palm prints samples were obtained by asking the participants to wash their hands, towel dry them, after which they were stained with stamp ink pad and prints made on A4 paper in duplicates. Palm print patterns of 105 (Igbo-Ora) and 50 (Ogbomosho) women with multiple births were compared with 95 (Igbo-Ora) and 50 (Ogbomosho) women with single births. The percentage number of primary, P and intersection, I of palmar creases with complete transverse creases, C (PIC) 300 bilaterally was significantly  greater (p < 0.005) in the hands of Igbo-Ora multiple births women (52.4 %) than their single births women (37.4%) while same trend was observed for Ogbomosho women although difference was statistically insignificant,(p > 0.005). In both Igbo-Ora and Ogbomosho women, PIC 310 bilaterally was found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) in both hands of single births women than the multiple births women. Hence, dermatoglyphics can be said to have relationship with a woman’s tendency to giving birth to multiples. Keywords: Multiple births, dermatoglyphics, palmar flexion creases, Ogbomosho, Igbo-Or

Socio Economic Effect on the Use of Information and Communication Technology among Rural Farming Households in Afijio Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria

This study was conducted in Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. It investigated the types ofinformation and communication technologies used by farmers, the most frequently used, the level of utilizationof the existing information and communication technology, farmers accessibility to ICTs and constraints faced inusing ICT facilities in the study area. Analytical techniques used include descriptive statistics such aspercentages, table and frequency; and Logit model analysis. A multistage sampling technique was used to selectthe Local Government, four (4) villages and thirty (30) farmers per village. One hundred and twenty (120)questionnaires were administered while one hundred and sixteen (116) were retrieved and used for analysis. Thesocio-economic characteristics of the farmers in the study area shows that the mean age of the farmers was 45years while majority (92%) were male and 8% were female. The use of ICTs (Radio) and accessibility to ICTconstituted 76% and 85% respectively. Majority (91%) argued that lack of power supply was a menace to ICT inthe study area. The results of Logit model revealed that age (p<0.05), marital status (p<0.05), and majoroccupation (farming) (p<0.01) significantly affect the use of ICT. The study therefore recommended thatgovernment should provide electricity on a sustainable basis to all rural and urban communities for effectivecommunication.Keywords: Information technology, Farming household, Communication, Utilizatio

Antibiogram nekih bakterija porodice Enterobacteriaceae izdvojenih iz pilića u slobodnom sustava držanja u Abeokuti u Nigeriji.

Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from the family Enterobacteriaceae is an important indicator of the emergence of resistant bacterial strains in the community. This study investigated the antimicrobial susceptibility of commensal Enterobacteriaceae from free-range chickens to antimicrobial agents using the broth microdilution. In all, 184 isolates (including 104 Escherichia coli, 44 Klebsiella spp, 20 Salmonella spp. and 16 Enterobacter aerogenes) were resistant to ampicillin (89.7%), chloramphenicol (73.9%), ciprofloxacin (33.2%), enrofloxacin (60.3%), neomycin (70.7%), norfloxacin (45.7%), streptomycin (78.8%) and tetracycline (73.4%). Escherichia coli was resistant to ampicillin (92.3%), chloramphenicol (73.1%), ciprofloxacin (34.6%), enrofloxacin (61.5%), neomycin (76.9%), norfloxacin (46.2%), streptomycin (80.8%) and tetracycline (76.9%). The rate of resistance in Klebsiella spp. was ampicillin (90.9%), chloramphenicol (72.7%), ciprofloxacin (54.5%), enrofloxacin (90.9%), neomycin (63.6%), norfloxacin (63.6%), streptomycin (81.8%) and tetracycline (81.8%). Salmonella spp. showed resistance to ampicillin (80.0%), chloramphenicol (80.0%), enrofloxacin (20.0%), neomycin (80.0%), norfloxacin (20.0%), streptomycin (80.0%) and tetracycline (35.0%) but were completely susceptible to ciprofloxacin. Enterobacter aerogenes was resistant to ampicillin (81.3%), chloramphenicol (75.0%), ciprofloxacin (6.3%), enrofloxacin (18.8%), neomycin (37.5%), norfloxacin (25.0%), streptomycin (56.3%) and tetracycline (75.0%). Overall, 147 (79.9%) out of 184 isolates demonstrated multidrug resistance to at least three unrelated antimicrobial agents. The high rate of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial isolates from free-range birds may have major implications for human and animal health with adverse economic implications.Otpornost bakterija porodice Enterobacteriaceae na antimikrobne lijekove važan je pokazatelj pojave otpornih sojeva u populaciji. U ovom je radu mikrodilucijskim postupkom bila istražena osjetljivost na antimikrobne lijekove bakterija porodice Enterobacteriaceae izdvojenih iz pilića u slobodnom sustavu držanja. Od 184 izolata (104 izolata bakterije Escherichia coli, 44 Klebsiella spp., 20 Salmonella spp. i 16 Enterobacter aerogenes) na ampicilin je bilo otporno 89,7% izolata, na klormafenikol 73,9%, ciprofloksacin 33,2%, enrofloksacin 60,3%, neomicin 70,7%, norfloksacin 45,7%, streptomicin 78,8% i tetraciklin 73,4%. Izolati bakterije Escherichia coli bili su otporni na ampicilin (92,3%), kloramfenikol (73,1%), ciprofloksacin (34,6%), enrofloksacin (61,5%), neomicin (76,9%), norfloksacin (46,2%), streptomicin (80,8%) i tetraciklin (76,9%). Stopa otpornosti bakterija roda Klebsiella bila je za ampicilin 90,9%, kloramfenikol 72,7%, ciprofloksacin 54,5%, enrofloksacin 90,9%, neomicin 63,6%, norfloksacin 63,6%, streptomicin 81,8% i tetraciklin 81,8%. Izolati Salmonella spp. pokazivali su otpornost na ampicilin (80,0%), kloramfenikol (80,0%), enrofloksacin (20,0%), neomicin (80,0%), norfloksacin (20,0%), streptomicin (80,0%) i tetraciklin (35,0%), ali su u potpunosti bili osjetljivi na ciprofl oksacin. Izolati Enterobacter aerogenes su bili otporni na ampicilin (81,3%), kloramfenikol (75,0%), ciprofloksacin (6,3%), enrofloksacin (18,8%), neomicin (37,5%), norfloksacin (25,0%), streptomicin (56,3%) i tetraciklin (75,0%). Sveukupno je 147 (79,9%) od 184 izolata pokazivalo višestruku otpornost na najmanje tri nesrodna antimikrobna lijeka. Veliki postotak bakterijskih izolata iz slobodno držanih pilića na antimikrobne lijekove može biti od znatne važnosti za ljudsko i životinjsko zdravlje s nepovoljnim gospodarskim učinkom

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH TB/HIV CO-INFECTION AMONG DRUG SENSITIVE TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS MANAGED IN A SECONDARY HEALTH FACILITY IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

Background: This study assessed factors associated with TB/HIV co-infection among TB patients managed in a secondary health facility in Lagos Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of treatment cards of patients seen at a secondary referral hospital between January 1 2014 and December 31 2014 was conducted. Treatment outcomes and factors associated with TB/HIV co-infection were assessed. Results: Of the 334 records of patients reviewed, the proportion of patients with TB/HIV co-infection was 21.6%. The odds of having TB/HIV co-infection was 2.7 times higher among patients above 40 years than patients less than 25 years (AOR 2.7 95% CI 1.1 – 6.5, p =0.030). In addition, the odds of having TB/HIV co-infection was 3.3 higher among extrapulmonary TB cases (AOR 3.3; 95% CI 1.2 – 9.5; p = 0.026) and 2.1 times higher among retreated patients (AOR 2.1; 95% CI 1.1 – 3.9; p = 0.017) than pulmonary TB and new patients respectively. The chance of having TB/HIV co-infection was 2.7-fold more in patients with poor treatment outcomes than patients with treatment success (AOR 2.7; 95%CI 1.3 – 5.4; p =0.006). Conclusion: TB/HIV co-infection rate was high in the study area. There is need to put measures in place to improve treatment outcomes of TB/HIV co-infected patients

Bioinformatics, Computational Informatics, and Modeling Approaches to the Design of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates.

This article is devoted to applying bioinformatics and immunoinformatics approaches for the development of a multi-epitope mRNA vaccine against the spike glycoproteins of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in selected African countries. The study’s relevance is dictated by the fact that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began its global threat at the end of 2019 and since then has had a devastating impact on the whole world. Measures to reduce threats from the pandemic include social restrictions, restrictions on international travel, and vaccine development. In most cases, vaccine development depends on the spike glycoprotein, which serves as a medium for its entry into host cells. Although several variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged from mutations crossing continental boundaries, about 6000 delta variants have been reported along the coast of more than 20 countries in Africa, with South Africa accounting for the highest percentage. This also applies to the omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in South Africa. The authors suggest that bioinformatics and immunoinformatics approaches be used to develop a multi-epitope mRNA vaccine against the spike glycoproteins of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in selected African countries. Various immunoinformatics tools have been used to predict T- and B-lymphocyte epitopes. The epitopes were further subjected to multiple evaluations to select epitopes that could elicit a sustained immunological response. The candidate vaccine consisted of seven epitopes, a highly immunogenic adjuvant, an MHC I-targeting domain (MITD), a signal peptide, and linkers. The molecular weight (MW) was predicted to be 223.1 kDa, well above the acceptable threshold of 110 kDa on an excellent vaccine candidate. In addition, the results showed that the candidate vaccine was antigenic, non-allergenic, non-toxic, thermostable, and hydrophilic. The vaccine candidate has good population coverage, with the highest range in East Africa (80.44%) followed by South Africa (77.23%). West Africa and North Africa have 76.65% and 76.13%, respectively, while Central Africa (75.64%) has minimal coverage. Among seven epitopes, no mutations were observed in 100 randomly selected SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins in the study area. Evaluation of the secondary structure of the vaccine constructs revealed a stabilized structure showing 36.44% alpha-helices, 20.45% drawn filaments, and 33.38% random helices. Molecular docking of the TLR4 vaccine showed that the simulated vaccine has a high binding affinity for TLR-4, reflecting its ability to stimulate the innate and adaptive immune response

Strengthening retinopathy of prematurity screening and treatment services in Nigeria: a case study of activities, challenges and outcomes 2017-2020.

OBJECTIVES: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) will become a major cause of blindness in Nigerian children unless screening and treatment services expand. This article aims to describe the collaborative activities undertaken to improve services for ROP between 2017 and 2020 as well as the outcome of these activities in Nigeria. DESIGN: Descriptive case study. SETTING: Neonatal intensive care units in Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Staff providing services for ROP, and 723 preterm infants screened for ROP who fulfilled screening criteria (gestational age <34 weeks or birth weight ≤2000 g, or sickness criteria). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A WhatsApp group was initiated for Nigerian ophthalmologists and neonatologists in 2018. Members participated in a range of capacity-building, national and international collaborative activities between 2017 and 2018. A national protocol for ROP was developed for Nigeria and adopted in 2018; 1 year screening outcome data were collected and analysed. In 2019, an esurvey was used to collect service data from WhatsApp group members for 2017-2018 and to assess challenges in service provision. RESULTS: In 2017 only six of the 84 public neonatal units in Nigeria provided ROP services; this number had increased to 20 by 2018. Of the 723 babies screened in 10 units over a year, 127 (17.6%) developed any ROP; and 29 (22.8%) developed type 1 ROP. Only 13 (44.8%) babies were treated, most by intravitreal bevacizumab. The screening criteria were revised in 2020. Challenges included lack of equipment to regulate oxygen and to document and treat ROP, and lack of data systems. CONCLUSION: ROP screening coverage and quality improved after national and international collaborative efforts. To scale up and improve services, equipment for neonatal care and ROP treatment is urgently needed, as well as systems to monitor data. Ongoing advocacy is also essential

Treatment of brewery wastewater using electro-Fenton and granulated activated carbon

Improvement of electro-Fenton (EF) process with granulated activated carbon (GAC) for the treatment of brewery effluent obtained from Ota, South-West Nigeria was investigated. The GAC was obtained by crushing, carbonising, sieving, and activating cow bones. Duplicate samples of the raw effluent and 10 treated brewery effluent samples were analysed for conductivity, turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), copper, manganese, cadmium, lead, and zinc. The average readings were taken as final values. Results showed that the combined use of EF and GAC treatment of the effluent yielded better result than use of EF alone. The removal efficiency was 1181, 50, 565, 4375, 160, and 840% for turbidity, COD, copper, cadmium, lead, and zinc respectively. EF and GAC treatment were, however, found to be inefficient for the treatment of conductivity, TDS, and manganese. It was also found that pH had a direct impact on the treatment media. Turbidity and cadmium, which had the highest removal rates were achieved at pH 2, while COD, copper, and zinc had optimum treatment at pH 6. It was concluded that the combined advantage of electrolytic separation from EF and adsorption from GAC yielded better treatment result for the brewery effluent samples

Salmonella Characterization in Poultry Eggs Sold in Farms and Markets in Relation to Handling and Biosecurity Practices in Ogun State, Nigeria

Salmonella remains one of the notable food-borne bacterial pathogens. It is associated with poultry and poultry products including eggs. This study investigated Salmonella distribution in eggshell and content, their antimicrobial resistance pattern, and the possible risk factors driving contamination in Ogun State, Nigeria. A total of 500 eggs (5 eggs pooled into one sample) were collected and culturally examined for the presence of Salmonella serovars. Isolates were further characterized biochemically using Microbact 20E (Oxoid) and Antimicrobial susceptibility determined by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. A total of 14 Salmonella isolates spread across 10 serovars were recovered from the 100 pooled egg samples; 10 (10%) from the market and 4 (4%) farms, 13(13%) eggshell, and 1(1%) egg content. All tested serovars were susceptible to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, florfenicol, and kanamycin. Resistance was mostly observed in sulfamethoxazole 8 (80%), followed by ciprofloxacin 5 (50%) and tetracycline 3 (30%). Sales of eggs in the market appear to be a strong factor encouraging contamination in addition to poor biosecurity and unhygienic handling of eggs on the farm

National surveillance and control costs for highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in poultry : a benefit-cost assessment for a developing economy, Nigeria

We conducted benefit-cost analysis of outbreak and surveillance costs for HPAI H5N1in poultry in Nigeria. Poultry's death directly cost US$939,734.0 due to outbreaks. The integrated disease surveillance and response originally created for comprehensive surveillance and laboratory investigation of human diseases was adapted for HPAI H5N1 in poultry. Input data were obtained from the field, government documents and repositories and peer-reviewed publications. Actual/forecasted bird numbers lost were integrated into a financial model and estimates of losses were calculated. Costs of surveillance as alternative intervention were determined based on previous outbreak control costs and outputs were generated in SurvCost® with sensitivity analyses for different scenarios. Uncontrolled outbreaks will lead to loss of over US$ 2.2 billion annually in Nigeria with 47.8% of the losses coming from eggs. The annual cost of all animal related health activities was <US$ 99.0 million, only one-third of this amount was linked with H5N1 surveillance and response activities. Recurrent cost was 96.2% of the total surveillance and response costs, and 31.0% of the HPAI surveillance cost was spent on personnel with 3.8% as capital cost. Cost-wisely, routine monitoring and surveillance for HPAI are 68 times more cost effective than to do nothing. Assuming that successful control and eradication of HPAI H5N1 is partially attributable to H5N1 surveillance and response, a quarter or half of the success will result in 17 or 34 times more benefits. Although animal surveillance and response activities for avian influenza appeared expensive, their implementation are economically cost beneficial for developing countries.Supplementary material 1, Surveillance benefits and costs for HPAI H5N1, Nigeria, 2016Supplementary material 2, Surveillance benefits and costs for HPAI H5N1, Nigeria, 2016http://www.elsevier.com/locate/rvsc2019-08-01hj2018Production Animal StudiesVeterinary Tropical Disease

Effects of cypermethrin as a model chemical on life cycle and biochemical responses of the tropical stingless bee Meliponula bocandei Spinola, 1853

The tropical stingless bee, Meliponula bocandei Spinola, 1853 is an important pollinator in West Africa but there is no study on the effect of pesticides on this species. This study assessed the effects of cypermethrin, a common pyrethroid on survival, taste (sucrose sensitivity), and biochemical responses of M. bocandei. The biochemical markers were superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], glutathione S-transferase (GST), reduced glutathione [GSH]), and acetylcholinesterase [AChE]) as well as glucose, trehalose and total protein concentrations. Test temperature was optimized by acclimatizing adult worker bees collected from a pristine natural colony to different temperature regimes in the laboratory and fed with sucrose solution. The optimized temperature (22°C) for survival and sucrose consumption was adopted for the toxicity test. The 24–48 h oral lethal dose (LD50) and 24–96 h indirect contact lethal concentration (LC50) of cypermethrin on the bees was in the range of 0.66–0.76 µg/ml and 92.24–223.69 µg/ml respectively. Also, the overall PER response reduced below 50% in bees that were orally exposed to high doses of cypermethrin. There was significant decrease in glucose, trehalose, total protein and GSH concentrations in bees when compared with the control. Also, significant alterations were observed in SOD, CAT, GST and AChE activity for both oral and contact exposure pathways. In conclusion, cypermethrin modulated the activities of biomarkers of oxidative stress and altered the level of energy metabolites in the bees